Guest List Woes…

I know that many brides and grooms have this BIG problem…cutting the guest list!!

I was in one of those moods today where I just wanted to SAVE SAVE SAVE! We originally had 250 on our guest list and I cut it down to 150. So, you might think that 250 sounds like a TON of people. Although it is, you have to understand that 123 of those are uncles, aunts, and cousins. Literally. Those are counting great aunts, great uncles, second cousins…nope. None of them (many of them I am close to and even been a PART of their weddings.)

So, how did we create our first (what we thought was Final) guest list so unrealistically? Well, we were expecting to hear from my future husband’s father about helping out with the wedding. What have we heard? Absolutely nothing. They even went to go play golf and his dad’s comment (which he brought up) was that there are “plenty of ways to save on the wedding”. This is a man who just planned his SECOND wedding. Yes, we know that there are plenty of ways, but we would like a wedding where we are able to afford to have the people that we are closest to be able to attend. We just really don’t want to have to go through the awkwardness of asking what he can contribute. I mean, my parents volunteered immediately. We will not be getting much from them, but they are doing everything they can and that is all we can ask for. My future husband’s dad however is VERY well off. He seems so much more concerned with his new STEP-CHILDREN of 6 months than the kids that he was a part of their lives for 25 years (the divorce was finalized 2 years ago, on their 25th anniversary). I know the conversation is going to just HAVE to come up, but I doubt we will be able to afford to add on half of those people with what he MIGHT give to us.

So, as of now…we are cut, cut, cutting people! Sad, but true. Anything that isn’t spent on our wedding is going to be put towards our first home together and I just can’t justify an extra $10,000 towards the wedding.

i definitely hear ya. our guest list is at almost 350 people (and we’re hoping 200 show up). i think it’s because i come from a hispanic family so my family is HUGE. our guest list was really long on my side with family (almost 100 in just immediate fam which included my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins…not even great aunts/uncles or 2nd cousins and stuff). glad you were able to cut your list down. it’ll save you alot of trouble later.